1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to appliances for preparing foodstuffs, and more particularly to a cooking appliance that significantly facilitates reparation of packaged foods.
2. Description of Related Art
The term "packaged foods" refers to foodstuffs that are packaged dry for unrefrigerated storage and quick, convenient preparation. Products sold under the trademarks Hamburger Helper, Chicken Helper, Tuna Helper, and Rice-A-Roni provide a few examples. The simple convenience of adding water and heating has made such packaged foods popular and frequently used items in many households, and so improvements in their preparation are of interest.
Packaged foods typically include any of various dry combinations of rice, pasta, stuffing, macaroni, chili, vegetables, sliced potatoes, and/or hash browns in a six to eight ounce box or bag along with some seasoning. The cook combines the dry ingredients in a skillet with hot water and any other desired ingredients (e.g., cooked hamburger, chicken, or tuna) and then heats the mixture on the stove top for about 15-20 minutes while stirring the mixture occasionally. That basically completes preparation.
Convenient, yes. But the stirring requirement can be a problem. The cook must remain nearby and focused on cooking. Otherwise the ingredients may clump together and even burn. This observation applies just as well to other stir-while-heating foods.
Many a busy mom or other cook faced with hectic household activities around meal time would prefer to improve this aspect of cooking. Although some existing crock pots include a slow stirring mechanism, they are large and bulky and unsuited for packaged foods. Thus, a need exists for a better easy-stir way of preparing packaged foods and other such stir-while-heating meals.